What does it take to win a prize on the New York State Fair's Midway? Most games contain elements of skill and chance, but it's easy to go home happy.

"You can look at the size of the prize to get an idea of how difficult it is to win," one Midway employee said. "The bigger the prize, the harder the game."

The squirt gun games, for example, require fair-goers to race against each other in shooting water at a target and filling up a tube with H2O. Small prizes can be easily won by beating two or three other players, but to win the ginormous stuffed banana you'll need to compete against at least six others.

View full sizeCarter Benett, with his mom Sarah Bennett, try to catch fish for prizes while touring the NYS Fair.Dick Blume | dblume@syracuse.com

Some games look easy and difficult at the same time, such as Wacky Wizard. Players must move a looped handle around a rotating spiral wire, getting it to reach the bottom without hitting the spiral. Of course, its operator, identified only as Tyler, can do it flawlessly every time while holding a conversation.

"It's like riding a bike. Once you learn it, you can do it every time," he said. "People who win come back every year and get it again, right off the bat."

Fool The Guesser is another fun game that seems impossible to lose, yet only three out of five players win. Essentially fair-goers write down their age, birthday or weight, and then the operator has to guess it within a certain amount -- no tricks.

"It's essentially just guessing," an unnamed guesser explained. "You can look at a person and guess their age and eventually you do it enough times to get good at it."

For the younger ones, games like Duck Fish Pond are easy to play: Pick up a rubber ducky and see what's on the bottom. At $5 for three ducks, that might not seem much fun, but operators promise a winner every time so kids go home happy.

Throwing a dull dart at a balloon is harder, of course, but fairgoers can also play that one until they win. One employee even said they're happy to help players of all ages take aim.

"My one-year-old could do it," the woman named Amber said. "We try and make kids have fun, feel like they're winners."

View full sizePrizes galore on the midway at the NYS Fair.Dick Blume | dblume@syracuse.com

Arcade fans will also find many games that are similar to what's in a mall, including a "Wizard of Oz" booth near the middle of the Midway. There, players insert coins to play for tickets, and then trade in tickets for prizes, including toys from the classic movie based on Chittenango native L. Frank Baum's book.

There's also Skee Ball, where $2 gets you five balls to roll up a ramp. If you get 180 points -- which requires hitting the 40- or 50-point target at least once -- you can win an oversized stuffed animal to impress your kids or significant other.

One worker said all the challenges are very winnable, and suggested going on Google and searching for "how to win fair games." Hundreds of thousands of YouTube videos show how easy some games are, while others say the trick is to observe a few other people playing first to see which controller might work best, or see what they do (or not do) to win.

A blog called The Art of Manliness suggests asking carnival employees for advice, too. If they demonstrate how to play the game, then stand in the same spot and mimic their motions as closely as possible.

In 2007, a "former carny" shared additional tips on Yahoo! Voices: For basketball shots, aim for a nothing-but-net shot as you can't rely on the rim or the backboard like with traditional hoops. For the rope ladder, keep your hands on the outer ropes, not the rungs, and move like a steady animal with your left arm in sync with your right foot. And for shoot-out-the-star games, work your way around the outside edge of the colored area instead of aiming for the center.

Everyone agrees, however, that the most important part of the Midway is to have fun. Whether you're there for rides, deep-fried food or games -- or all of the above -- enjoy yourself.

Here's a breakdown of some of the most popular NYS Fair Midway games, including how to play, how much they cost and how difficult each is:

Pop a balloon with a dart: Thow darts at balloons for prizes like framed pictures and stuffed animals. $3 for one dart, $5 for three darts. Difficulty: Easy. Play until you win.

Ring A Bottle: Toss rings to land around the top of a glass bottle, for prizes like football helmets and four-foot stuffed animals. $0.25 for one ring, $2 for 10 rings, $5 for 30 rings. Difficulty: Hard. Four winners in one day.

Wacky Wizard: Move a ring around a spiral wire without hitting it. Difficulty: Medium. Once you get the hang of it, it's easy.

Railrunner: Rotate a railing to get a ping-pong ball in the middle without falling off. $2 for one ball, $5 for three balls. Difficulty: Medium.

BB-gun shooting: Shoot down blocks of wood with prizes listed on them, including Beats headphones. $3 for one round, $5 for two. Difficulty: Easy for small prizes, hard for big prizes. Shoot 'til you win.

Shoot out the Star: Shoot at a red star on a piece of paper until the red star is gone. $5 for 100 shots. Difficulty: Hard.

Pop-Gun: Shoot a wiffle ball at three bottles, knock them all over to win. $3 to play. Difficulty: Medium. One in a dozen players win.

Bowler Roller: Roll a bowling ball so it goes over a hump, but not so hard that it rolls back. $0.25 a roll. Difficulty: Medium to hard.

Beer Bust: Throw baseballs at empty bottles of beer, bust two to win. $2 for two balls. Difficulty: Medium. 60 to 70 winners a day.

Basketball shot (small): Sink two shots to win a big prize. $3 for one game; $5 for 3 games. Difficulty: Medium. Three out of five players win.

Basketball shot (long): Sink one shot to win a big prize. $1 for one shot. Difficulty: Hard. Average 10 winners a day.

Lucky Duck Pond: Pick up a duck, see if you won a prize underneath. $5 for three ducks. Difficulty: Easy. Winner every time.

Flipping Frenzy: Climb a rope ladder at a 45-degree angle without flipping, ring the bell to win. $3 for one attempt, $5 for three tries. Difficulty: Hard. Seven winners in one day.

Fool the Guesser: Write down your weight or birthday and they'll guess it. $3 per guess to win inflatable toys and stuffed animals. Difficulty: Easy. Three out of five players win.

Water Squirt Race: Compete against other fairgoers in shooting water at a target to fill a tube to the top. $3 per player. Difficulty: Easy. Winner every time, but it requires six players to win the biggest prizes.

The 2013 New York State Fair runs through Labor Day, Monday, September 2.